OVERNIGHT STICKY BUNS

Oh these are yummy! This recipe is perfect for an easy Saturday morning treat or even a Sunday brunch. My family loves them and I have to keep a close eye on my son who would eat the entire pan by himself if left unchecked…he’s 15, ’nuff said. If you’re counting calories it comes out to about 270 calories per bun…if you’re watching your sugar intake, these may not be for you.

As the name implies they are an overnight sort of thing but who wants to mess with dough and yeast late in the evening. Not me. Enter the frozen dinner rolls…oh so easy. You can set things up just before you go to bed, and all you have to do in the morning is preheat your oven and bake for 25 minutes.

These can be found in your grocer’s freezer section alongside the pastry shells. The bonus is the recipe is on the back of the bag. One bag will make 2 batches so if you like them you can do it all over again the next day or weekend. I know that there’s a very similar recipe in the “Best Bridge” series but it uses more rolls and I find that this one works just as good if not better.

The ingredients are commonly found in most kitchens, things like brown sugar (1 cup), butter (1/2 cup), cinnamon (2 tbs), vanilla pudding powder(1/4 cup), and raisins (1/2 cup – these are optional). I’ve done them with out the pudding powder and just substituted some vanilla and they turned out great. I tend to add more butter and cinnamon than the recipe calls for but that’s my preference. I’ve also experimented with adding nuts, like chopped walnuts or pecans, to it instead of raisins or in addition to the raisins…it all depends on what you like. Another small twist is to add a wee bit of nutmeg along with the cinnamon; don’t use too much though, as nutmeg is a very potent spice.

Okay, now that you have your dinner rolls, take a dozen out and place them into a lightly greased bundt pan…yes, a bundt pan. you can let them fall where they may or you can tidy them up a bit. I like to to have them sitting all nicely in the pan like little soldiers only because I think about presentation and what it would look like once they had risen. I’m a bit of a freak that way (wink). Presentation, another of my baking/cooking quirks, but that’s for another time.

Now add all the other ingredients. Just dump them over the top of the dinner rolls. Try to do it evenly so that each roll will benefit from all that yummy goodness. I usually put all the dry ingredients in first then drown it all in melted butter. Yes, melted butter. It adds a bit of warmth to the rolls to initiate the thawing and rising, and it makes it so much easier to make sure that all the rolls are coated.

Now, cover the pan with a clean, damp towel and put it in the oven or a warm dry place overnight. I tend to use my oven because it does pretty much guarantee a draft free environment and it protects things from my dogs. It will need to sit at least 8 hours, but no longer than 12, so if you like having a lie in it won’t hurt it.

In the morning take the pan out of the oven (if that’s where you put it) and turn your oven on (350 degrees F) to preheat it. Once it is at temperature place the pan into the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. When they are done take them out and let them rest for a few minutes. Take this time to find a nice big plate that you can turn them out onto. If you want to spoil your family or if its a special occasion use the good china…go ahead, nobody’s going to call the fancy china police on you, and what’s the use of it just sitting in a cupboard anyway? Using your good china will show those you’re feeding honor and love. Really.

Now, being careful turn the pan over onto your plate and remove the pan. I would scoop out any syrup that’s been left the pan and pour that over top, after all what’s a little bit more sugar at this point. Voila! Fab sticky buns for everyone to enjoy. Bon Apetite!